Two years ago, Ohio voters approved a measure to legalize adult-use marijuana. It wasn’t even close, as the bill passed by a 57.2%to 42.8% margin.

The November 2023 vote gave the greenlight to the cannabis industry in Ohio and before long, marijuana dispensaries began to sprout all over the Buckeye State. Even those who do not partake have probably noticed these, ahem, joints popping up. There are more than a few already operating in the Mahoning Valley and probably more on the way.

We don’t endorse the use of recreational cannabis, but we are fans of legislators who respect the will of the people. We wish Ohio had more of them working in Columbus, because it appears that a majority of our lawmakers have little regard for what the people they supposedly represent want.

What other conclusion can be drawn from the passage of Senate Bill 56 on Tuesday? As of Wednesday, the bill was awaiting the signature of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine after clearing Ohio’s Republican-dominated Statehouse.

If the governor signs SB 56 into law before the end of 2025, it could take effect by March.

So what does that mean for Ohio consumers, the burgeoning cannabis industry in the state and employees who work in those dispensaries?

One of the biggest provisions in the bill would ban intoxicating hemp products. Another would make it illegal to bring legally purchased marijuana into Ohio from other states.

It seems likely that DeWine will sign SB 56 into law. According to the Ohio Capital Journal, the governor has been asking lawmakers to come up with legislation on intoxicating hemp products for nearly two years. The products are concerning because they’re often sold in packaging that are similar to candy products, apparently to appeal to kids.

You may have seen these products in convenience stores and gas stations without even realizing exactly what they are. We’re not opposed to regulating or banning such products. In fact, recent federal law has banned intoxicating hemp products from being sold outside licensed marijuana dispensaries.

But SB 56 doesn’t stop there. It also makes multiple changes to the adult-use marijuana statute approved by Ohio voters two years ago. Among them, per the Ohio Capital Journal:

• The bill would reduce THC levels in adult-use marijuana extracts from a maximum of 90% to 70%.

• The bill would limit THC levels in adult-use flower to 35%.

• Smoking marijuana in public places would be prohibited.

• Motorists would be required to store marijuana in their trunks while driving.

The bill was first passed in the Ohio House in October by an overwhelming 87-8 margin. The Senate vote was 22-7.

“What my caucus believes is that at the at the core of this is you have a group of legislators in the majority that are out of touch with everyday Ohioans, even when it comes to legalizing marijuana, and they’ve tried to do everything they can to rescind the vote of the people,” said Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio, D-Lakewood.

Changes to the original bill — known as Issue 2 in 2023 — are permissible because it was a citizen initiative, rather than a constitutional amendment.

Antonio and fellow lawmakers opposed to SB 56 are concerned about what the changes might do to small business owners, in addition to adding new regulations for those buying and using cannabis products.

Some aspects of the original citizen initiative remain, including a 10% excise tax.

SB 56 stipulates that 36% of revenue generated by adult-use sales will go to municipalities and townships that have dispensaries.

That’s why many cities and townships were quick to approve dispensaries. It was a new revenue stream. From August 2024, when adult-use sales of marijuana began in Ohio, such sales exceeded $702.5 million. But as of today, those locales are still awaiting their shares of those funds.

Many of those local entities planned to use those funds for education and addiction treatment, but there seems little sense of urgency from the state, which has been collecting that revenue from the moment the first dispensary opened.

Not to worry, according to the original sponsor of SB 56, state Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City.

“That money will be available to locals as quickly as tax can get it out as soon as the governor signs,” Huffman told the Ohio Capital Journal.

It’s almost as if those funds have been held hostage in order for some lawmakers to get the arbitrary changes they wanted to an initiative Ohioans already approved two years ago.

Would our lawmakers really do that?